Our changing leaf color and cooler temps here in the northern U.S. signal the coming of winter, and with winter comes motorbike storage. Over the years I've amassed a menagerie of bike covers, so I thought it might be a good time to inventory the 13 covers I found in my collection. As it turns out, the only one I actually use regularly is a lightweight indoor cotton dust cover — all the rest are versions of outdoor waterproof covers. I store the bikes inside so I decided to put my varied covers on Marketplace for $10 each and after a couple of weeks they all found new homes.

Seat is sold.

I have a very nice Corbin seat to fit the 1986-87 VFR 750/700. This is the two-color seat to match the Pearl Crescent White 700 bikes. White and blue with gold piping to match the gold pinstripe on the pearl white bikes. The seat is in very good condition with no visible tears or other damage. A few imperfect "spots" on the white portion, but hardly noticeable. I have thoroughly cleaned it and rubbed in two coats of vinyl conditioner. It fits fine on my '86 700, see photos. The price is $200 which includes shipping to CONUS ONLY. AK & HI will pay actual extra shipping costs. No international shipping. PayPal OK, contact me for details: joe.nelson@ymail.com
See several photos here:
​https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWVCRWi

What: 1997 VFR750F
Where: New Jersey?
Why: Well-kept, original survivor
Price: $5500

I'd come across this beautiful example of the final-year carb-fed Interceptors awhile ago, but was put off by the asking price. But, when it appeared in my inbox this morning, I wanted to be sure to share the great write-up from RareSportBikesForSale.com and the seller. To wit:

"The Honda VFR750F is an icon. Through 10+ years of constant production, evolution and improvement, the VFR gained notoriety for doing everything well. This is not a bike that just ticks one of the “most” buckets; it is not the cheapest, it is not the lightest, it is not the most powerful, it is not the most race-like, it is not the fastest. But for those that actually prefer to ride, the VFR has been a constant companion offering good looks, great performance and legendary reliability. From the clean sheet beginnings way back in 1986, the VFR steadily improved to what can only be considered as close to motorcycling perfection as possible."

That's a nice chunk of hyperbole. The photos leave something to be desired, but what's there shows this to be an exceptionally well-kept 4th-gen Interceptor. Looking closely, I would have guessed that this is a very thorough, meticulous restoration, but the seller claims it's all showroom. The bike shows 18,250 miles and is represented as "close to museum quality." RSBFS makes the point that "the market has yet to come back around to equalizing value for money," which is a wordy way to repeat my mantra — the VFR is the best value in the used bike market. This is my personal favorite generation of Interceptor to actually live with, and they will always be great to look at. Here's your chance at an exceptional example.

Back in August, Patti & I decided to sample the International Motorcycle Show's (IMS) new outdoor format, which they're simply calling IMS Outdoors. Here in the frozen hinterlands, we've always found the indoor venue to give a needed mid-winter break, but the switch to an outdoor concept has the added advantage of allowing test rides, which I took advantage of. Lots of brands were participating, even Harley, providing several Livewire bikes along with some of their traditional lineup.

We had a predictably hot and humid late summer day, one of those days where you dread pulling on riding boots, much less the rest of your gear. But I've been hankering to try Honda's latest DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) and they provided a few Gold Wings and the new Rebel 1100 so equipped (sadly, no Africa Twins). So, at my appointed 2:30 time slot I sweated through the short safety talk, plus a 10-minute DCT briefing, and about eight of us mounted up and took off on our 20-minute ride through the Illinois countryside.

I immediately attempted to exit the parking area with the "parking brake" left on which I figured out after about 100 feet — I don't think anyone noticed my newbie faux pas. My first impression was the odd sensation of the missing clutch lever, followed by the added layer of button pushing to get the DCT in the riding mode(s) that you want. But, once you're configured, the scooter-like ease of operating the DCT bike comes naturally. In anything other than "Sport" mode the shifts are barely noticed and stopping/starting is a breeze. Once underway, the bike is just a Gold Wing, which is to say a large, comfortable, easy to ride touring bike. This latest iteration of the 'Wing is trimmer and lighter, and I soon realized that it felt very much like my old ST1300 in size and handling — a good thing. It even features a very handy "walking mode" which provides power forward and back.

Power, however, is on a whole n'other level than the ST. Even in "Rain" mode there's no lacking of grunt and speed available, but when I selected "Sport" at a stop light, I was taken totally by surprise when giving the same throttle input that I had been using while leaving a stop — I literally nearly had my hands pulled from the grips. I have no idea why Honda felt the need to provide such an excess of acceleration for their flagship tourer, but it's there if you want it. After sampling "Sport" for awhile I switched to "Tour" and settled back to imagine myself in everyday riding…which is where this bike shines. Smooth, easy, balanced, sophisticated…just what you need in a full-sized touring bike, though air conditioning would have been nice on this day.

If it hadn't been so uncomfortably hot I would liked to have sampled a couple of Triumphs and a Zero electric, but instead we casually wandered the displays, had a food truck snack, threw a leg over several bikes and tried out an electric bicycle demo machine — my kind of bicycle. I'll miss our winter IMS break, but having the ability to try out several new bikes in the new summertime venues is a plus. All in all, a good day.
(photos courtesy of Honda)

What: 1983 VF750F (V45)
Where: Mesa, Arizona
Why: Low mile time capsule
Price: $5900

This first-year 750 Interceptor is blessed with historical provenance, low miles (9500) and appears to be in excellent original cosmetic condition. The seller states that the bike's mechanics have been addressed, including a fresh YSS shock absorber, and full records in hand. For the asking price of $5900 I would want to see some detailed photos, but zooming in on the few in the ADVrider ad shows a nice, desert-kept VF.